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Monday, 11 April 2011

FEARS FOR SAFETY OF YOUTH LEADERS

The Swaziland Democracy Campaign (SDC) has been trying to make contact with the four youth leaders who were arrested last night (10 April 2011) and who have since disappeared.

In a statement SDC says that Samkeliso Ginindza, one of the four men,telephoned Mary Pais Da Silva (SDC Swaziland Convener) at 2050 hrs last night and informed her that they had been stopped and the attitude of the security forces was very hostile. He also said that they were unsure of their safety because of the conduct of the security forces towards them. It was agreed that they would keep in constant communication, however this was not the case as his mobile number is unavailable on the network (and so are the other mens’ numbers).

A legal team has been making attempts at tracing the four since word of their disappearance arrived at 1130hrs today, but so far there is no lead as to where they are. It is generally agreed that the security forces had a hand in their disappearance. Attempts to reach the Police Headquarters have been futile as there is no answer to the telephone calls being made.

Attempts at the MbabanePolice Station have not yielded any fruit, as the Station Commander is reported to be out of office and he is unreachable on his mobile number and this was as soon as attempts to call him thereon were made. At first his phone rang with no response.

As Swazi’s gear up for the protest march billed for tomorrow (12 April 2011) and the world waits with bated breath to witness this historic event, the Government has conducted itself true to form and in furtherance of the threats uttered by the country’s illegal Prime Minister in his statement on the protest marches.

Yesterday, comrades returning to Swaziland from the Swaziland Democracy Campaign’s one year anniversary commemoration were intensely searched and questioned at the Oshoek border post. Some of them had their belongings including t-shirts confiscated with no information as to when they would be returned to them. The items confiscated were mainly those that have the COSATU emblem on them.

There are a series of roadblocks along the route from Oshoek to Manzini including the following: at Sidwashini in Mbabane; at Mvutjini in Ezulwini, at Mhlaleni in Matsapha. At one of these roadblocks (Sidwashini), four comrades who were travelling together in the same motor vehicle went missing. They are as follows:

3.Maxwell Dlamini: President of Swaziland National Union of Students (SNUS).

4.Samkeliso Ginindza: Deputy Secretary General of SUDF and Secretary General of SNUS.

At 2050hrs, Samkeliso telephoned Mary Pais Da Silva (SDC SD Convener) and informed her that they had been stopped and the attitude of the security forces was very hostile. He further stated that they were unsure of their safety because of the conduct of the security forces towards them. It was agreed that they would keep in constant communication, however this was not the case as his mobile number is unavailable on the network (and so are the other comrades’ numbers).

A legal team has been making attempts at tracing the comrades since word of their disappearance arrived at 1130hrs, but so far there is no lead as to where they are. It is generally agreed that the security forces had a hand in their disappearance. Attempts to reach the Police Headquarters have been futile as there is no answer to the telephone calls being made.

Attempts at the MbabanePolice Station have not yielded any fruit, as the Station Commander is reported to be out of office and he is unreachable on his mobile number and this was as soon as attempts to call him thereon were made. At first his phone rang with no response.

The SDC condemns in the harshest terms, the manner in which the regime is attempting to derail the move to democracy. We demand that the comrades be released immediately and that these arbitrary arrests be brought to an immediate end. Arresting and detaining comrades only adds fuel to the fire that is burning in us. We shall not be deterred in flooding to the streets tomorrow.